Tel: (845) 626-2627   Home   Contact  
Sun Volt

Sun Volt Solar

earth, the final frontier

Clean Energy, Clean Environment

We are at a cross roads in human history, we can choose to continue on as we have been, or we can make a change to improve our future and quite possibly the future for several generations to come. We are here to promote energy independence, a better environment, a secure future and a higher return on investment for your hard earned dollar. It is what I believe in, it is why I am in the solar business.

TechCity Solar

30 Oct 07 | General

I live near Kingston, NY. Just north of Kingston is a huge office complex called “TechCity” which is a former IBM computer manufacturing plant. The plant closed about 15 years ago during a consolidation. This left something like 2 million square feet of prime hardened office space vacant in northern Ulster County.

About 10 years ago, the plant and property was purchased by, Alan Ginsburg, a New York City real estate developer. Since then about 800,000 square feet of office space has been rented and there are several big clients in the office complex. All of this is good for the economy of Ulster County and the nearby City of Kingston.

When it was announced that they were opening The Solar Energy Consortium in TechCity, I found this very interesting. The SEC is described by US congressional representative Maurice Hinchey (D-New Paltz) the venture as a “not-for-profit solar consortium driven by industry – in collaboration with public, private, academic, environmental, labor and economic development partners – with the goal of creating fully integrated solar-powered systems that will revolutionize the way in which New Yorkers and all Americans receive their energy.” It is expected that venture will employ 300-500 people.

I am not sure how that will effect the ordinary solar installer, but it is good to know that something like that is coming to the area.

Tags: , ,

30 Oct 07 | General | Comments (0)

Solar Manufactures increase productivity

24 Oct 07 | General Business, Solar Electric

Reading several articles about PV production and increases in silicon feed stock. The outlook is good that PV panels will be more abundant in the next few years, which will hopefully lead to some price reductions or at least price stabilization. From Evergreen Solar:

The Quad furnace technology will be used in Evergreen’s new 75 megawatt factory in Marlborough, Massachusetts. The furnace uses a String Ribbon process in which a set of parallel strings are pulled continuously through a small molten pool of silicon inside a custom furnace. A thin “ribbon” is created between the two strings as the silicon cools and re-crystallizes. The ribbon is then cut into wafers, which are converted into solar cells and used in the production of solar panels — all under one roof. Evergreen’s current String Ribbon technology produces two ribbons at one time, while the Quad creates four ribbons simultaneously.

Kyocera has also stepped up production by building new production facilities in several countries:

In order to respond to increasing demand, Kyocera focused on research to improve quality , when enduring a shortage of silicon. The Company has now secured a stable supply of silicon materials from several suppliers, and accordingly plans to expand manufacturing facilities in stages and steadily increase production.

Kyocera has already established local production and supply systems for solar modules in Japan, Europe, the United States and China, the four largest markets in the world, to respond rapid rise of demand in these areas. Along with the phased increase of solar cell production to 500MW, enabled by the stable supply of silicon materials, new factory wings will be constructed and additional manufacturing facilities will be installed at each of the four bases. Capital investments amounting to about 10 billion yen in total will be made for expansion and improvement of production systems in order to achieve 500MW annual production output in the end of March 2011.

China has also been stepping up it’s PV production. The Chinese government has plans for several large PV power stations in the north western desert regions. Several Chinese manufactures have begun to increase production to meet this demand, as well as to sell overseas.

Integrated photovoltaic (PV) product manufacturer Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd announced it has completed the first stage of its Phase III 500MW manufacturing expansion plan.

The newly finished production lines add 100MW of total production capacity of polysilicon wafers, PV cells and PV modules. Yingli started trial production of polysilicon ingots from the new lines on June 1 and following detailed testing and certain modifications, recently launched production at full capacity.

Provided the economic and political conditions remain stable, this should be a boon to the growing PV industry here in the US. If oil prices continue to climb toward the $100.00 dollar per barrel mark, there may be a shortage of qualified solar installers.

Tags: , ,

24 Oct 07 | General Business, Solar Electric | Comments (0)

The power of Manure

20 Oct 07 | Bio Gas, Commentary, Environment

I have a friend who has a house in Burlington, VT. A few days ago he was telling me about a farm where all the cow manure is collected and held in an anaerobic digester to create methane gas (CH4) which is then burned by electrical generators and fed into the power grid. I found this article which talks about it a little more:

Seven-hundred St. Albans cows will make more than milk today–they’ll make electricity.

“Cow Power is an opportunity for farmers to significantly reduce their environmental impact while creating clean, renewable energy. Like the emergence of automated milking and the bulk milk tank decades ago, CVPS Cow Power has the potential to change the way Vermont dairy farms do business. This will make our farm stronger.”

–David Montagne, Farm Owner
The Dave and Cathy Montagne Farm will become the latest to join the CVPS Cow Power program today, generating electricity from cow manure and helping to solve numerous environmental challenges in the process. They have the capacity to handle manure from up to 1,200 cows.

The farm produces over 15 million pounds of milk a year, and is expected to produce 1.4 million kilowatt-hours (KWh) of electricity a year.

To create energy, manure and other agricultural waste are held in a sealed concrete tank at the same temperature as a cow’s stomach, 101 degrees. Bacteria digest the volatile components, creating methane and killing pathogens and weed seeds. The methane, which is roughly 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere, fuels an engine/generator.

CVPS customers can choose to receive all, half or a quarter of their electrical energy through Cow Power, and pay a premium of 4 cents per KWh. It goes to participating farm-producers, to purchase renewable energy credits when enough farm energy isn’t available, or to the CVPS Renewable Development Fund. The fund provides grants to farm owners to develop on-farm generation. Farm-producers are also paid 95 percent of the market price for all of the energy sold to CVPS.

“Cow Power is an opportunity for farmers to significantly reduce their environmental impact while creating clean, renewable energy,” farm owner David Montagne said. “Like the emergence of automated milking and the bulk milk tank decades ago, CVPS Cow Power has the potential to change the way Vermont dairy farms do business. This will make our farm stronger.”

This is really a great way to handle several problems. Methane is 20 times the greenhouse gas that CO2 is. Since all cows produce manure, and all manure produces methane when it breaks down, this is one very effective way of eliminating agricultural greenhouse gas production.

Even if the methane was simply burned it would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The fact that it is used to turn a generator and thus eliminate some of the electrical load makes it even more attractive. By the way, almost any gasoline engine can burn methane with a few simple modifications, which means that this could type of system could power cars, light trucks, etc.

For the farmer, the problem of getting rid of the manure is taken care of. After anaerobic digestion, all that is left is a brownish black nitrogen rich crumbly substance that can be used to compost gardens and lawns.

Tags: , ,

20 Oct 07 | Bio Gas, Commentary, Environment | Comments (0)

Peak Oil

18 Oct 07 | Commentary

Ah, ehm. Not to be an alarmist or anything, but have you seen the price of oil lately? West Texas crude was selling at $90.00 per barrel today. That’s higher than the post Hurricane Katrina levels when a gallon of gas was $3.60. The price of gas today? Oh, $2.86 per gallon, which I find strange. Does this mean there was massive gouging after Hurricane Katrina? I dunno, but it seems likely.

The reasons for today’s rise is the weakening dollar, which has caused speculators from other countries to buy oil with cheap with hope to sell higher when the dollar rebounds. This has created a supply squeeze, which has made priced go up. Most of this seems like market manipulation of one form or another, which is to be expected as lots and lots of money can be made.

peak oil plot

There are many dire predictions about Peak Oil and the end of cheap energy. Most see some form of resource competition or conflict, which I believe is already taking place in Iraq. Additionally, a general rise in prices across the board as fossil fuels supply the energy and raw materials for almost everything we depend on. Fortunately, the world will not simply run out of oil. The production of oil is based on a bell curve, that shows a steady predicable decline. That is if the geologists are right about the oil reserves, and countries and governments are telling the truth about the amount of oil still in the ground. There may indeed be some very turbulent times, but I do not think it will be the end of the world as we know it. That is, provided we begin to plan now.

There are many on the political right that pooh-pooh peak oil and the notion that we need to start moving away from fossil fuel use. These will cite all sorts of reasons why it is not a concern, we need not worry about the environment and so on. That is an imprudent course of action. Unfortunately, many of these are in the military or defense contractor sectors. Often as is the case, these types think that a strong defense will keep any and all harm away from them or the country. This is a mistake that has played out time and time again though history; Think of Greece, Rome, etc.

Right now, there exists an opportunity to take a huge step in the right direction. The US congress (House and Senate) are trying to compromise on the 2007 energy bill. This bill has a lot of great things for the renewable energy sector. It needs to pass both houses of congress with a veto proof majority, otherwise the President will veto it and we will be back to square one again. If you have a chance, contact your Senator or Representative and let them know how important it is to move ahead with renewable energy. There are two websites that make it easy.  The first is SaveOurEnvironment.org and the other is Solar Nation.  Both sites have online forms that can be filled out and emailed directly to your Senator and Representative.

Regardless of any of that, the more expensive oil and natural gas become, the more attractive renewable energy systems will become. This will be good for those involved in the renewable energy sector as more and more people turn to things like solar and small wind to meet there energy needs.

Tags: ,

18 Oct 07 | Commentary | Comments (0)

To sell on line or not to sell on line

17 Oct 07 | General Business

I am currently debating on whether or not to have an online renewable energy store.  It seems like quite a bit of work to set up, and there would also be some liability issues associated with retail sales of renewable energy products, especially wind equipment.

On the other hand, it may be a good side income stream, particularly if I can get the manufactures/distributors to drop ship directly to the customer (that way I am not actually handling the merchandise).

There are currently several retail online renewable energy stores.  When I compare there online prices to the wholesale prices I am getting from distributors, I can see about a 8-10 percent markup.  Not too bad considering that there is minimal overhead.

The other downside I can see would be customer returns and restocking.  Also, I have seen quite a few shady characters in my life.  There are likely more than a handful that would likely try create some scam or something.

The other question is how much time would be taken up with answering customer questions?  Obviously, the online sales would be mostly to do it yourselfer’s.  This could mean that they would expect someone to tell them step by step on how to do a solar installation.  They may also install the equipment wrong, damage it, et cetera, then expect a refund.
Likely I will have a product feature section, which introduces the equipment to potential customers, but not necessarily sell directly to the public unless I am going to install it as well.  I think that is the best compromise.

Tags: , , ,

17 Oct 07 | General Business | Comments (0)

Solar DHW on my own house

14 Oct 07 | Solar Hot Water

Before I had the idea to get into the solar business, I always wanted to put some sort of renewable energy system on my house. First I thought of a wind generator as we have a lot of wind around my house. The problem is that there are also a lot of tall trees. For a wind generator to work properly, it needs to be at least 30 feet above any objects within 300 feet. I would need a 120 foot tower to meet this requirement, which is very expensive and not likely to win any friends around the neighborhood.

Then I looked into photovoltiacs, which are still an option. Before installing a photovoltiac system however, I wanted to reduce our electric use as much as possible. We heat our water with electric. What better way to reduce electricity use than a solar thermal system. I did quite a bit of research and found the following:

  1. Solar thermal systems are more efficient than photovoltiacs. For the same area about three times the energy can be extracted.
  2. Solar thermal is less expensive than photovoltiacs.
  3. Solar thermal has a shorter payback period, depending on the federal and state incentives, a simple payback period of between 2 to 4 years, versus about 10 years for photovoltiacs.
  4. Solar thermal works well in this climate, provided adequate freeze protection is built into the system.
  5. Solar thermal is slightly harder to install.

Last summer I set out to install my solar thermal system, I purchased the parts individually on line and installed them myself. It was a fun project and works very well, so I am happy with it. It is the basic system outlined on the “How Solar Works” page.

Solar domestic hot water system

Next year I will likely to 2 KW of photovoltiacs on tracking mounts. It is important that I believe in the technology that I am trying to sell and install on other people’s houses. There is no better way to demonstrate that than to install and use it myself.

Tags: , ,

14 Oct 07 | Solar Hot Water | Comments (0)

Home Depot offers Solar Power Installations

10 Oct 07 | General Business, Solar Electric

I was walking into a Home Depot the other day and I saw a hand written sign hung from a table that said:

WE DO SOLAR!

Interesting. So I went to there website to see what I could find out about the Home Depot’s solar program. It seems they have some sort of deal with BP Solar to do Photovoltaic installations around the country. This is from their web site:

Now you can reduce or even eliminate your electric bill, increase your home’s value and contribute to a cleaner environment, all at the same time. It’s a great time to join the move to renewable energy resources, and the perfect time to take advantage of the generous government and local utility financial incentives that can cut thousands of dollars off the price. It’s Win – Win, for you and the environment!

At The Home Depot, we’ve teamed with BP Solar to offer you BP Solar Home Solutions – the best in solar power systems and installation. State and utility incentives now available cut thousands of dollars off the cost, making solar power more affordable than ever. For a comprehensive review of available incentives visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) website.

I am not sure how I feel about the country’s second largest retailer offering solar installations. Normally, what this would mean is more work for certified installers because the Home Depot does not use it’s own employees to do this work, they contract it out.

The economic implications

On the one hand, it could mean more work for everybody in the solar business. If the Home Depot is involved in solar installations, then it clearly has gone main stream. More and more people will be installing photovoltiacs in the coming years, and that is good for business.

On the other hand, as is the case with so many other things, when large corporations get involved, the little guy often gets hurt the worst. This is because of their often strong arm tactics to drive prices lower so they can make more sales. What I fear will happen is the Home Depot will start dictating what solar installers can charge for an installation. An installer in the Home Depot network would likely get a steady stream of work. Because of this, they will be able to lower prices somewhat. This will lead other installers to lower their price to remain competitive. Next thing you know, the Home Depot installers will be asked to lower their prices again. And so it goes.

These anti competitive actions could put a damper on the photovoltaic installation business, especially for new startups who have higher overhead expenses in the first few years.

Fortunately, I am concentrating on solar thermal installations, so it may not effect me that much. However, it will be something to keep an eye on.

Tags: ,

10 Oct 07 | General Business, Solar Electric | Comments (0)

I'm ready, are you?

08 Oct 07 | Commentary

There are a couple of developments in the renewable energy world that are fairly exciting. First off, $100.00 per barrel oil seems inevitable. From the Cleantech blog:

Last week, as reported on Yahoo!, the chief economist of the investment bank CIBC went on record that “We’re in a world of triple digit oil prices for the foreseeable future,” beginning by the end of 2008.

Increasingly, I’ve been hearing through the grapevine prognostications of $100/barrel oil. I put a lot more weight on CIBC’s view than on Hugo Chavez’s. Why? Based in Canada, CIBC prides itself on being a banker of note to the huge Canadian oil and natural resources industry. Besides, Canadians in general seem less prone to hyperbole than we Americans (or Venezuelans). As a result, I expect that a firm such as CIBC doesn’t put out such statements very lightly.

What does $100 oil mean? By my calculations, each additional $10/barrel increase in oil prices, translates to about $0.40/gallon in gasoline prices — assuming no changes in oil transportation costs, oil refinery economics and oil taxation. So, if we’re seeing gasoline close to $3.00/gallon today with oil at $80/barrel, I would expect almost $4.00/gallon at $100 oil.

This is good, I say. I would welcome $5.00 per gallon of gas if only the oil companies were not getting filthy rich from it.

Then, it appears that Congress has received the message. They are currently working on the renewable energy portfolio, fixing some access issues from the interconnection rules, etc. From renewable energy access.com:

While the renewable energy industries have been focused on extending or expanding the investment and production tax credits, adopting a renewable energy portfolio standard (which passed the House of Representatives), and addressing access issues from interconnection rules to accelerating clean energy projects on federal lands and facilities — Congressional leaders are stepping out to define their own vision.

Two seasoned legislative leaders have introduced important bills that deserve attention, and are already creating talk on Capitol Hill.
Now such actions had started earlier in the year, when solar, small wind and fuel cell advocates were surprised that the House Ways and Means Committee was not moving the Section 25 residential investment tax credits in the energy section of the new Energy Bill. In fact, Congressional Democrats had adopted an approach on their own for long term government loans.

For some Congressional supporters, residential tax credits were only useful to the upper middle class with tax liabilities, while tax credits were less useful to the lower middle class homeowner that had lower tax liabilities and had little cash to even consider the solar option.

Now, it appears both options are destined for passage, with loans as part of the Energy Bill deliberations in November and December, and residential credits either leveraged into the Energy Bill by the Senate or considered as part of a separate expiring tax credit package the House will move before adjournment this year.

That is exciting stuff. Now the question is, will they have enough votes for any presidential veto override?

The released proposal (not yet introduced as a formal bill) establishes: 1) a 50-cent-a-gallon tax on gasoline and jet fuel, phased in over five years, on top of existing taxes, 2) tax on carbon, at $50 a ton, released from burning coal, petroleum or natural gas, 3) Phaseout of the interest tax deduction on home mortgages for homes over 3,000 square feet. Owners would keep most of the deduction for homes at the lower end of the scale, but it would be eliminated entirely for homes of 4,200 feet or more which estimates that would affect 10 percent of homeowners.

Dingell says “it’s only fair” to tax those who buy large suburban houses and create urban sprawl. Historic and farm houses would be exempted. The Bill also designates some of the revenue would be used to reduce payroll taxes, but most would go elsewhere including for highway construction, mass transit, paying for Social Security and health programs and to help the poor pay energy bills.

That is an interesting twist, phase out tax deductions on interest for large houses. I am not sure how I feel on this one, surely large houses do use a lot of energy, but it seems sort of anti-American to increase the tax burden on the average McMansion owner.

Finally, there is this bit of good news about peak oil from the Peak Oil Review:

In peak oil circles, the likelihood that world oil exports will peak and then decline faster than world oil production has been discussed, tracked, and generally accepted for some time now. Last week the notion that peak exports may well be near at hand hit the mainstream when Jeffrey Rubin, the chief economist of the Canadian investment bank CIBC, released a report on declining oil exports and began briefing Wall Street groups about his findings.

We live in interesting times.

Tags:

08 Oct 07 | Commentary | Comments (0)

Expenses

03 Oct 07 | General Business

When setting up any business, there will be some up front expenses. Solar installation is no different. In fact, solar installation is most like a contractor service, such as a plumber, HVAC, electrician, and so on. The intial investment can vary, but listed below are the minimum things that are needed to get the business off the ground. In addition to that, leasing or buying a building to use as a work shop/storage area may also be needed. If you really want to get fancy, a store front and office could be added to that as well.

For right now, I plan to run my business out of my home. As far as a store front goes, I will put some picture galleries up on the main web site when I get a chance. This will allow potential customers to see what a typical solar thermal and photovoltiac installation will look like.

Doing a little research, I have come up with a list of things I will need to transition this business to a full time job. Some of these are needed soon, others can wait a little bit.

  1. A truck. I was looking around at a good used Toyota Tundra pickup truck. Several recommendations were made to get a van, but I an not big on vans. I think a pick up truck has more utility. I like the Toyota’s because they are good solid trucks. The last thing I need is to continually run the company vehicle into the repair shop. Cost about $24,000.00
  2. Truck bed tool box and ladder rack. Both of these are needed to haul stuff around. Cost about $1,000.00
  3. Magnetic door signs. Makes the truck look more professional, less expensive than a lettering job. Cost about $65.00 per pair.
  4. Telephone line. Need to have a separate phone number than people can call. Cost about $200 to install and then $50.00 per month
  5. Solar pathfinder with software. This is a neat tool that lets you do a complete sight evaluation for the entire year. Cost about $350.00
  6. A 7×12 Haulmark trailer. This will be my enclosed portable workshop. When on sight I can park the trailer for a couple of days with everything I need stored inside. Cost about $2,600.00 plus some amount for lettering
  7. A solar panel for the pickup truck. This is a great marketing tool, have a solar panel, a couple of batteries and an inverter installed on the pickup. That way you have power available on any job site instead of using a gas generator. Shows that you believe in the stuff you are installing. Cost about $1,500.00
  8. Quick Books software. The professional version has all the features needed to track business, generate proposals, invoicing, etc. Cost $199.95
  9. Computer printer. To print out proposals, invoices, etc. Cost $89.00
  10. Business cards. Cost about $65.00
  11. Miscellaneous tools, parts, etc. Cost about $800.00

Everything adds up to about $30,918.95. That is just to get started and does not include any marketing effort. Solar around here seems to be taking off, as I have already had three calls from my Find Solar.com posting. I will post more information on this once I finish the Business Plan.

Tags:

03 Oct 07 | General Business | Comments (0)